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Gilderoy Lockhart
- New From J. K. Rowling - Gilderoy Lockhart, 1964Precisely a decade passes between his graduation and his employment at Hogwarts in 1992; he thus graduated in 1982. He attended Hogwarts for seven years, and thus began there in 1975. He was eleven when he began, and was thus born in 1964. |died= |blood=Half-blood |marital=Unmarried |alias= |title=Professor - Chapter 6 (Gilderoy Lockhart) |signature= |hidep= |species=Human |gender=Male |height= |hair=Blond |eyes=Blue |skin=Light |hidef= |family=*Father *Mother *Two elder Muggle sisters |hidem= |animagus= |boggart= |wand=Cherry and dragon heartstring, nine inches, slightly bendy |patronus= |hidea= |job=Professor of DADA |house=Ravenclaw |loyalty= }} Professor Gilderoy Lockhart (b. 26 January, 1964) was a British half-blood wizard and the Professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from 1992 until 1993. Biography Early life Gilderoy Lockhart was born on 26 January, 1964 to a pure-blood witch and a Muggle man; he had two older sisters, neither of whom was magical. Even in his youth he was cleverer and more attractive than his siblings, and was his mother's unashamed favourite. The revelation of his magical ability caused his vanity to blossom like a weed. Lockhart and his mother had expected his arrival at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to be much more dramatic than what it turned out to be; somehow, neither of them noticed that he would be attending a school full of witches and wizards. Indeed, it was a terrible blow to his ego to hear that his name was unknown, he had no particularly brilliant talents and that nobody cared about his wavy hair. Lockhart was sorted into Ravenclaw House, and displayed considerable talents and above-average intelligence, which his teachers were quick to note. He spent most of his time telling anyone who would listen among his classmates that he was going to lead England to winning the Quidditch World Cup before deciding that such was too grand and announcing that he was to become the youngest-ever Minister for Magic. Lockhart received consistently outstanding marks, but often felt that if he was not the best out of everyone at something, he needn't participate at all. He valued learning not for its own sake, but for the attention it brought him; he craved prizes and awards, and when he became unable to obtain them he tried to bully the Headmaster into letting him start a school newspaper so that he could see his own name and picture in print. When this failed, he began a series of mischievous, attention-seeking exploits, such as magically carving his own signature into the Quidditch pitch in twenty-foot letters (earning him a week of detentions) and shooting a projection of his face into the sky in an attempt to imitate the Dark Mark. One year, he sent himself eight hundred Valentines, and breakfast had to be cancelled as there were too many feathers and owl droppings in the porridge for it to be eaten. Career When Lockhart left Howgarts, the staff were deeply relieved - that is, until they heard word of his foreign exploits, ridding various far-flung places of Dark creatures. Most of his former teachers felt they had misjudged him, for he was showing bravery and resilience in his actions. This, of course, was untrue; he had simply found his destiny at long last. Lockhart had never been a bad wizard, simply a very lazy one until he decided to perfect the rather difficult Memory Charm. He used this new-found talent to bewitch twelve very brave, very intelligent and very courageous wizards into recounting their adventures to him, and then erasing their memories. He would return to Britain after speaking with each one, with a new book full of invented detail. He won the Order of Merlin, Third Class, became an Honourary Member of the Dark Force Defence League and won the Witch Weekly Most Charming Smile Award five times, his good looks untarnished by 'his various encounters with Dark creatures'. Hogwarts career Most of the teachers at Hogwarts in 1992 remembered Lockhart from his school days and, whatever his later achievements, thought him to be thoroughly obnoxious and self-centred. Thus, they were mortified to learn that Headmaster Albus Dumbledore had hired him for the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. It had been difficult for Dumbledore to persuade Lockhart to return to Hogwarts, but by promising him that Harry Potter, who had began at the school the previous year, would ensure him permanent fame and glory, Dumbledore ensured that Lockhart would return. Dumbledore happened to have known two of the people who Lockhart had bewitched, and thought that shoving him into a school setting would reveal his fraudulence. At the end of Lockhart's year teaching, he was hit by his own backfiring Memory Charm, which forever deleted his past, and he spent the rest of his long life in the Janus Thickey Ward at St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. Personality and traits Lockhart was a very modern celebrity in that he enjoyed spending time trying to think up new and creative ways to make himself famous. He refused to try at anything unless he was assured to be the best at it, and was quite vain and selfish. Etymology Mrs Lockhart chose the name "Gilderoy Lockhart" for her son because it was very flashy and encouraged him in the belief that he was a wonderful person. His given name was listed in the Dictionary of Phrase and Fable; Gilderoy was a very handsome highwayman and a bit of a rogue. Appearances *''Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets'' *''Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'' *''Pottermore'' Notes and references Category:Males Category:Wizards Category:Half-bloods